PAT FENLON insists his side aren’t fit to wear the Hibs jerseys – so has vowed to knock them into shape before it’s too late.

The Easter Road boss watched his troops run out of steam as they capitulated in Saturday’s second-half shocker at Tannadice to leave the Irishman still searching for his first win since coming into the hotseat.

Fenlon is attempting to get to grips with the under-achievers he inherited from axed gaffer Colin Calderwood last month and reckons they’ve not got the legs to last the full 90 minutes.

And the no-nonsense Dubliner, who arrived in the SPL with a glittering CV from his time as a manager in Ireland, has pledged to get his sloppy stars into tip-top condition in their quest to climb the table after their latest set-back left them sitting joint bottom of the SPL.

Fenlon said: “We seem to be OK for 50 or 60 minutes but then drop out of it.

“It was the same in the St Johnstone game the other week. So you look at reasons for that and we have to work on fitness. That helps concentration too.

“It is becoming a regular thing, taking the lead in a game then going on to lose it.

“Once we lost the first goal we dropped deeper and deeper.”

Jon Daly’s double late on allied to Johnny Russell’s equaliser cancelled out Leigh Griffiths’ first-half opener as United moved into the top six.

Hibs resembled a quivering wreck from the minute the hosts levelled and it was always likely they would crumble again.

Fenlon admits it’s like watching re-runs of an old video just weeks into his time at the Hibees helm.

He said: “When we concede a goal we look like we’re nervous. It’s nothing different to what I have watched since I came here.

“All we can do is keep working hard and hopefully nick a win so the confidence comes back again.”

They did look decent for a while and adapted better to the earlier-than- normal kick-off – with former Dundee forward Griffiths making his presence felt on his Tayside return, calmly slotting past home keeper Dusan Pernis from midfielder Martin Scott’s through ball.

Russell was just as deadly at the other end with United’s equaliser on the hour after man-of-the-match Gary Mackay-Steven had worked his magic.

Hibs’ soft centre was exposed again in 76 minutes when Daly didn’t mess about with a header from Paul Dixon’s cross, before wrapping up victory with a cool finish in the dying minutes despite appeals for offside from the shattered visitors.

Hibs ace Martin Scott, one of the few who emerged with his head held high, admitted they’re guilty of caving in all too easily. He said: “We went in happy with the lead at half time and felt comfortable.

“We said at half time, ‘Don’t get camped in’ but that’s what happened.

“We didn’t deal with the pressure and it proved costly.

“The boys have been looking back at the games to find a solution.

“But once we get a bit of pressure, as a team we are not coping with it.

“It’s infuriating to go ahead in games and not even come away with a draw.

“The games are a carbon copy of each other and it’s not good enough.”

Now the second-bottom Hibees host resurgent Inverness in Wednesday’s crunch clash knowing things must improve or else they could easily find themselves surplus to requirements under the new regime.

Scott said: “We are trying to stay as positive as we can. We are working extra hard, doing everything we can to get points on the board.

“It will be up to the manager. If he doesn’t think we’re good enough he might need to offload people.

“Last year in January we were in a similar position so we know that if we go on a run we’ll climb the table.

“You have to look forward. We will be in training, working hard as ever trying to get points against Inverness.

“They are a stuffy side, I know them well from my time in the Highlands.”